​Something is coming... and it’s not just a story—it’s a reckoning.

When survival means uncovering the truth and justice is a matter of life and death, how far would you go?

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🔥 Coming soon.

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Last night I had the opportunity to deliver my second presentation at an academic conference, this one at Oxford University. This time around I was much less nervous, and prepared a PPT.

I presented on Storytelling as Remembrance: Writing Fiction to Preserve Historical Memory at the transdisciplinary conference The Art of Storytelling: Archetypes in Focus at Oxford University.

My abstract was:
"Storytelling is often considered an act of imagination, yet the foundation of compelling narratives frequently lies in rigorous research. In my novel that is a work of historical fiction set against the backdrop of Srebrenica during the Bosnian War, research played a pivotal role in shaping both the narrative and its emotional authenticity.

The town of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina made history on 11 July 1995, when 8,372 men and boys were slain and buried in mass graves, making it the biggest massacre on European soil since World War II. The Srebrenica massacre that led to the unanimous ruling the massacre of the enclave's male inhabitants constituted genocide, a crime under international law, in 2004 in the case of Prosecutor v. Krstić in the Appeals Chamber of the ICTY (Prosecutor v. Krstić, Case No. IT-98-33-A, 2004). As a result, this event is historically significant as it is first genocide conviction in Europe since the Holocaust. It is a globally significant event as it represents the catastrophic failure of the international community to prevent genocide, despite numerous warnings.

This presentation explores how deep engagement with historical records, survivor testimonies, and journalistic sources informed my creative choices. I will discuss the challenges of translating research into narrative without overwhelming the story, as well as the ethical responsibility of representing historical trauma through fiction.

Using my novel as a case study, I will outline my research methodology, including archival research, scholarly sources, and primary accounts, and how these informed the construction of my protagonist’s journey. I will also address the tension between fact and fiction—when to adhere to historical accuracy and when to allow creative license."

I am hoping that this presentation will be the basis of a longer talk that I can deliver to libraries.

I am saddened and horrified not only by the real life genocide and oppression we have playing out in Palestine right now, but also with the blatant censorship that is happening in the Australian arts industry.

Those who know about the history of oppression and genocide, speak up and get silenced, like First Nations Author Karen Wyld who lost her Fellowship for tweeting about Palestine.

I stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people. I stand in solidarity with the Indigenous people who have also experienced genocide and oppression. I stand in solidarity with Karen Wyld for speaking up for those who can't speak for themselves. I stand in solidarity with Michelle De Kretser who used her Stella speech win to speak up and inspire! I stand in solidarity with all those wonderful people that show up on my feed and advocate and speak up. @TessWoods and @paddyoreilly.writer and @randaafattah 

Tess Woods has a link on her linktree to write to the PM which I did. I have donated to the Palestine Children's Fund.

Advocate where and how you can!

It's still always such a buzz when I sell a book and while I get excited about stats to do with the online retailers that my books are available on, when I get a direct sale, it just somehow means more. And today I got two sales!!!!

Somehow these readers stumbled across my writing, went to my shop, and chose to buy a book from me. It feels more personal and visceral. So getting an email while I was at work was just so deliciously thrilling, I wanted to celebrate it.

I'd encourage all writers, no matter what stage you're at, to establish an online shop. I use PayHip which has no monthly fees as a small percentage is deducted per sale. I've connected it to BookFunnel to sell my ebooks and audiobooks. I sell paperbacks where I package and post, however this is only within Australia due to fees. 

There are options to integrate with Bookvault to do print on demand physical books internationally, but I haven't done that. And can also integrate with Printful for merch, which I might do.

I connected my store to my own domain so it's my own branding

​https://pishukinpress.com/

🎙️ "."
Writing about trauma means navigating pain, truth, and compassion. In this episode, I talk about writing my memoir while protecting my mother’s dignity—acknowledging the harm without being cruel. Because you don’t owe your trauma to the page. You choose what to share.
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🖋️ If you're writing from wounds, this one's for you.

Listen to the full podcast episode about Writing from Wounds
https://www.amrapajalic.com/podcast.html

Got a lovely email from my podcast host Buzzsprout that my podcast has had 50 downloads! This is data only from my audio podcast provider, and there are also about 87 downloads on YouTube so nearly 100 downloads all up.

Very exciting considering this whole podcast idea came as more of an impulse and was more about building up new skills so that I can apply for funding for my history podcast. In the process have discovered that I really love podcasting and the opportunity to share information.

My goal is to record 10 solo episodes to build up my confidence and tech know-how and then I want to expand it into an interview format. The theme will be evolutions and transformations, and it will be all about sharing stories of becoming.

Have started the process of setting up my studio with two armchairs and want to invest in more hardware-a camera and microphones. 

Here are my episodes so far, and 3 more to record to achieve my goal. It's all about consistency and just plodding along. And before you know it, you create something pretty spectacular!!!

8-Own the Stage, 26/05/25
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7-Wounds to Words, 12/05/25

6-Evolution of an author, 28/04/25

5-How Short Stories Build Publication History 14/04/25

4-Balancing the pen and the paycheck 31/03/25

3-The Art of the Pitch, 17/03/25

​2-My Journey to Self Publishing, 03/03/25

1-Benefits of Residency, 17/10/25

🎧 Catch all the episodes on Amra’s Armchair Anecdotes 

​www.amrapajalic.com/podcast.html

My weekly writing update where I talk about my upcoming writing workshop
Short Story with Amra Pajalic, Wyndham City Council online, Thu, 22 May 2025, 6:30pm - 8:30pm

​https://www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/whats-on/short-story-amra-pajalic